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Darren Criss, Sherry Cola join ‘Descendants’ spinoff film

A photo of Darren Criss. (Ian Johnston). | A photo of Sherry Cola. (Leslie Alejandro) | A photo of James Monroe Iglehart. (Deneka Peniston)

Several stars have joined the cast of Disney’s upcoming spinoff movie set in the Descendants franchise.

Disney Channel and Disney+ announced that Darren Criss, Sherry Cola, James Monroe Iglehart, Hugo Ateo, Sean Yves Lessard and Dan Bakkedahl have joined the cast of Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story. The new film centers on the descendants of classic Disney sidekicks and goes into production this month.

“Hidden in the center of each fairy tale is a portal to a secret training facility where the descendants of legendary sidekicks are challenged to join the elite ranks of partners to heroes,” according to an official description. “When a villainous duo comes to Sidekick Academy, a group of fresh recruits must band together — without heroes, without parents — using only their new skills to save the fairytale realm before it’s too late.”

Criss will play Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio, Iglehart will play Genie from Aladdin, Cola and Ateo will play Yzma and Kronk from The Emperor’s New Groove, Lessard will play Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast and Bakkedahl will play Yen Sid from The Sorcerer’s Apprentice in Fantasia.

Notably, Iglehart is returning to the role of Genie. He won a Tony Award in 2014 for originating the part in the Broadway production of Aladdin.

The film’s main cast includes Dior Goodjohn as Jennie, the daughter of Genie; Momona Tamada as Zara, the daughter of Yzma; Jacob Rodriguez as Kronk Jr., the son of Kronk; Eva Fossaceca Smedley as Meri, the daughter of Merryweather from Sleeping Beauty; and Harry Jones as Lou, the son of Lumiere.

Also part of the cast are Rhys Dawkins, Connor Wong and Kyra Wong as the Potts siblings from Beauty and the Beast. Only Murders in the Building director Jude Weng is helming the film that was written by Tamara Chestna, Eydie Faye and Emma Fletcher.

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Woman confronts Man who followed her home from Bar

By CNN
Click here for updates on this story    BELLEVUE, Pennsylvania (WTAE) -- Authorities have arrested a man they say followed a woman home from a bar in Allegheny County over the weekend.Authorities say a man, later identified as Anthony Bartos, attempted to enter a woman's home on Hallett Place after he followed her home from a bar at 12:41 a.m. on Sunday.Officers say they identified Bartos through Ring doorbell and camera footage. According to officials, he could be seen following the victim in that footage.The victim was able to identify Bartos as the suspect in a photo lineup on Monday.Pittsburgh's Action News 4 reporter Felicity Taylor spoke to the victim, Jerah Jorinscay, Monday evening, who said she was coming home from the local bar when the incident happened.“When he saw me struggling with my keys to get the top lock open, and that's when he approached the porch, and I saw the shadow of his face, like, move behind my head,” Jorinscay said.She yelled at the man, who then ran away.“He laughed. He thought it was funny. And he told me to calm down. I hope he's laughing in jail right now,” Jorinscay said.According to the criminal complaint, camera footage showed Bartos following Jorinscay for blocks.“He put those gloves on, following me. He knew what he was going to do,” Jorinscay said.The footage, along with assistance from McCandless police, led investigators to Bartos. Police in McCandless had already charged him with prowling and harassment after a similar incident in July. Bartos is also facing gun and assault charges stemming from a fight at his workplace in Marshall Township in May.“It wasn't just me, but I was at the wrong place and at the wrong time for him. So they did their job. Thank you. That's all I could say to the Bellevue PD,” Jorinscay said.While police say this may not be the first incident involving Bartos, Jorinscay is determined to ensure it doesn’t happen again.“He doesn't see this sky no more. No more, no more. He doesn't get to walk freely no more. And if he does, and everybody's going to know,” Jorinscay said.She shared her story to encourage other women to stay vigilant and brave.“That was the most freeing feeling to watch that man run away from me when he tried me. No, you run, not me. You,” Jorinscay said.Bartos has been arrested and faces charges of stalking, instruments of crime, harassment and more. His bail was denied Monday evening, and a preliminary hearing in this case has been set for Aug. 27.Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
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